Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-10-27
CHAPTER LII.


A story IMP )ssIBLE TO UNDERSTAND.
Il will go and see her myself" said
or Stair, when his daughter had
given him full description of her in
teryiew with Mrs. Grey. IL must see
her for it is a story quite impossible to
understand. "
al do not think she will see you," re-
piled the duchess; "when mentioned
it to her she almost died of agitation p"
Why and no did you mention itP"
asked Lord Stair.
because ould 90 nothing with
her. ! conld not persuade her. /
could not inilu nee her; she would not
trust me, and told her how good and
k nd YOU were, that she could not do a
better thing in this world than tell her
story TO you; but she would not hear of
t. She seemed so frightened that !
was afraid she would die in her cell. y
"Why should she be afraid of seeing
mep' he ked.
THAT was her secret, papa; she
would not tell me; in fact she told me
nothing except that the greatest kind
ness we could do her was to forget her.
To let her pass out of our lives, never to
think OF her again. She repeated it so
often that | am quite sure she meant it
She told me III 1t when her term of i'm
prisonment was over she would go t.
America, and she PRAYED me to leave
ler, and never to come back"
What an extraordinary thing" cried
Lord Stair.
Il am quite sure now" said the
duchess, ''that she is no thief; l am
more puzzled than ever "
IL can not imagin' why she will not
see me " said L rd Stair.
alt is not merely that she would not
ee you," rpl ed his daughter; lit was
The extraordinary emotion and agita.
ion at the sound of your name even
that puzzled me-"
ait co fl ms your theory, Ethel, that
he is rea Phoebe skcrn
mo, sa d The duchess, sadly, Il do
not think she is Phpbe skern"
Then W Y should she dread seeing
ne? If she be stranger, as suppose,
what need to fear do not know that
have ever seen this Mrs. Grey in my
life. Whv need she dread seeing me
If she is Phpbe Askern, there is a sens.
ble reason in refusing she would fear
many things in that case"
The duchess shook her head.
Il have quite abandoned that theory,
papa" she said. "Mrs. Grey is no
more Phoebe Askern than am"
"rhen. willing or not willing" he
replied. II shall go and see her myself.
hate all this sense of mystery. Ever
sin the lockets have been found
have been miserable l have no r, st;
find my self always wondering who that
woman is, and what she has to do with
us. If she were really Phoebe skern,
that would explain everything"
"She s not, and nothing can be ex-
planned. / am quite as uncomfortable
you can be, papa quite Ny thoughts
are never away from Holloway prison.
and the mystery there that concerns
u.s."
Lord Stair and the Duchess of Meath
were too deeply interested to able to
orget even for one moment. Lord
Stair was at loss when the refusal
to see him came; it did not change his
decision, but it made his resolution
difficult to accomplish. He onsulted
an emine lawye, who told him that
he believed he could find some legal
precedent for such visit.
I" it be simply for the purpose of
Identification. you could see the prisoner
without being SEEM" said the lawyer.
You have but to get permission of the
authorities.
"Can do that?" asked Lord Stair.
al am sure you can, with the requi-
site permission. 1t is not long since I
went to identify one of the greatest
thieves in all England 1 saw him
through the grating in the cell door;
but he did not see me.
"lt does not seem fa'r-not quite
fair" said Lord Stair If it were a
man wanted TO see. it would be right
enough; but hardly like to play the
! spy upon woman
1T is your only chance" said the
lawyer.
Still Lord Stair was long before he
could bring his mind to 1t.
Tell me-" he said one FAY to the
duchess tell me exactly what she is
like, this Mrs. GreyP l believe that
am losing my senses over her."
what she Is like" replied the
daughter. can describe her best as
first saw her at Cavering. 1t seems SO
long ago. She was tall, graceful and
dign fed thin and worn; but with a
most beautiful face the most beautiful
and the saddest have ever seen. The
strange thing about her then was the
color of her hair and her eyebrows,
which did not seem to belong to her
face; now l find out that is was her
di-guise. / saw her hair; some of Il
had fallen from underneath her prison
CAP, and IL was of beautiful pure roldr'